Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne has announced his resignation following an independent review of his research that found significant flaws in studies he supervised dating back decades. Conducted by an external panel of scientists, the review refuted claims that an important 2009 Alzheimer’s study supervised by Tessier-Lavigne had involved falsified data and subsequent cover-up. The panel concluded that the claims were mistaken. However, it did find that the study had “multiple problems” and did not meet the necessary scientific standards. As a result, Tessier-Lavigne has agreed to retract a 1999 paper and two others published in 2001. Two other papers, including the 2009 Alzheimer’s study, will undergo comprehensive correction.
Stanford’s reputation as a leader in scientific research was called into question due to the accusations, even though they concerned work published before Tessier-Lavigne’s tenure at the university began in 2016. In a statement, Tessier-Lavigne expressed his reasons for resigning, stating that ongoing discussion and debate about the report and its conclusions could hinder his ability to lead the university in the upcoming academic year. Tessier-Lavigne, 63, will step down as president in August but will remain a professor of biology at Stanford.
The accusations initially came to light years ago on an online crowdsourcing site for scientific work, PubPeer, but resurfaced after The Stanford Daily student newspaper published articles questioning the accuracy and honesty of research conducted in laboratories overseen by Tessier-Lavigne. The review panel, which examined more than 50,000 documents and conducted over 50 interviews, found flaws in five papers with Tessier-Lavigne listed as the principal author, as well as other papers he co-authored. Members of Tessier-Lavigne’s labs were found to have engaged in inappropriate manipulation of research data and deficient scientific practices, and the panel questioned his handling of mistakes as well as his decision not to correct the 2009 paper when subsequent studies showed it to be incorrect.
Despite the allegations, Tessier-Lavigne made significant contributions during his time at Stanford, including establishing the university’s first new school in 70 years—the Doerr School of Sustainability, dedicated to finding solutions to climate change. Richard Saller, a professor of European studies, has been named interim president, effective from September 1.